The present device provides for a universal stylus. The stylus emits a light incident upon a distal metallic object therein causing electrons on the metallic object to be ejected from the metallic object, resulting in a non-uniform electric field near the metallic object. When the metallic object is brought into close proximity of a capacitive touch-screen of a smartphone, tablet, kiosk, computer or other electronic device, the local disruption in the electric field surrounding the touch-screen is registered as a touch, in a similar manner as a human finger normally activates the touch-screen. In an embodiment, the device utilizes a light incident directly upon the electronic device, without the need for the light incident striking a metallic object.
Capacitive touch screen sensors designed to recognize a finger touch do not currently have the sensitivity to recognize very small-tip passive styluses. A device enabling a small tip stylus which may sufficiently activate (register a touch) on most capacitive touch screens including smartphones, tablets, kiosks, computers and other touch screen devices would greatly improve the touch screen experience across various end-user applications.
Accordingly, the present device provides for a universal stylus. The present universal stylus emits a light incident upon a distal metallic object located in the stylus resulting in a non-uniform electric field near the metallic object. When the metallic object, located at or near the tip of the stylus, is brought into close proximity of a capacitive touch-screen of a smartphone, tablet, kiosk, computer or other electronic device, the local disruption in the electric field surrounding the touch-screen is registered as a touch, in a similar manner as a human finger normally activates the touch-screen. More specifically, the present device creates a conductive region/space around the tip of the universal stylus in such a way that it distorts the electric field of the capacitive touch sensor on the device, to an extent much larger than is possible with a passive tip having the same geometry. As a result, the present universal stylus allows for a narrower pen type tip stylus design. Further, the present universal stylus generates a non-uniform electric field near the surface of the touch-screen of the electronic device for which it is interfacing with, virtually rendering a touch as if a user's finger were in contact with the surface of the electronic device. As an alternative theory to operation, the light source of the device may activate the air surrounding the tip and may convert the air into a conductive plasma which may be made to produce a signal on a touch panel in a similar fashion as how the device may be activated by a human touch.
Capacitive sensing technology works by using the human body as a capacitance for input to an electronic device. More specifically, touch-screen devices generally work when a user's finger alters the normally uniform electrostatic field of the touch-screen of the device. In typical touch-screens, only one side of the touch-screen has an insulator coated with a conductive material. Through a power source, a small voltage is uniformly spread throughout the insulator. As a user touches the touch-screen of the device with his or her finger, the user's finger acts as a conductor and a capacitor is dynamically formed therein disrupting the insulator at the specific spot on the touch-screen and allowing the electronic device to register the desired operation selected by the user. Capacitive touch sensors are used in many devices such as laptop trackpads, digital audio players, computer displays, mobile phones, mobile devices, tablets and others.
Capacitive touch screen sensors designed to recognize a finger touch do not currently have the sensitivity to recognize very small tip passive styluses. The present device provides a small tip universal stylus which may sufficiently activate (register a touch) on most capacitive touch-screens including cell phones, tablets, television, kiosk and other touch-screen devices therein allowing for multiple end-user applications.
In an attempt to improve on the stylus-computer interaction, multiple devices have been created. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No.: 20110199333 to Philipp discloses a capacitive sensor for determining the presence of an object, such as a user's finger or a stylus. The sensor includes a substrate on which electrodes are deposited. A resistive drive electrode is arranged on one side of the substrate and a resistive sense electrode is arranged on the other side of the substrate. A shorting connection connects between two locations on one of the electrodes. The electrodes are connected to respective drive and sense channels.
Further, U.S. Publication No.: 20100006350 to Elias discloses methods and apparatuses adapted to ensure that contact from a stylus will be detected on a low resolution touch sensor panel irrespective of the location of the region of contact upon the touch surface. In some embodiments, a metallic or otherwise conductive disk may be attached to one end of the stylus. The disk may be sized so as to guarantee sufficient electrical interaction with at least one sensory element of the touch sensor panel. In some embodiments, the stylus may be powered so as to provide a stimulus signal to the capacitive elements. Optionally, one or more force and/or angle sensors disposed within the stylus can supply additional data to the touch panel.
U.S. Publication No.: 20040119701 to Mulligan discloses a lattice touch-sensing system for detecting a position of a touch on a touch-sensitive surface. The lattice touch-sensing system may include two capacitive sensing layers, separated by an insulating material, where each layer consists of substantially parallel conducting elements, and the conducting elements of the two sensing layers are substantially orthogonal to each other. Each element may comprise a series of diamond shaped patches that are connected together with narrow conductive rectangular strips. Each conducting element of a given sensing layer is electrically connected at one or both ends to a lead line of a corresponding set of lead lines. A control circuit may also be included to provide an excitation signal to both sets of conducting elements through the corresponding sets of lead lines, to receive sensing signals generated by sensor elements when a touch on the surface occurs, and to determine a position of the touch based on the position of the affected bars in each layer.
However, these publications fail to disclose a universal stylus for use with virtually any touch-screen. In particular, these publications fail to disclose the use of plasma to perform the function of a conductive pliable mass which establishes strong capacitive coupling with a touch-screen. Further, these publications fail to disclose a universal plasma stylus which operates in a safe and efficient manner as provided below.